IF WE HAD BUT ONE SERMON TO HEAR It has been well said that preachers as dying men preach to dying men. Some people heard their last sermon last Sunday. Others will hear their last sermon this week. If we knew that we had only one sermon to hear what would we like that sermon to be? 1. We should not want it to be a sermon to sooth our itching ears because this is not soul saving preaching. This kind consists of fables but not the word which will save our souls. (2 Timothy 4:1-4). The idea of everybody is all right, take your choice, or do what you think is right is not the preaching of the apostles nor the message found in your New Testaments. 2. We should not want to hear a dramatic lesson with theatrical effects to stir our emotions but have nothing for our intellect. The great swelling words of vanity are characteristic of false teachers but are really clouds without water. (Jude 12, 13). 3. We should want clear and plain preaching of the gospel without any effort made to spare our feelings but which will clearly show us our duty to the Lord. This preaching should include the plan of salvation as found in Mark 16:15, 16; Matthew 28:18-20; and Luke 24:46, 47. This preaching should also rebuke sinful living and compliment living a righteous life. 4. We should want Christ exalted as Savior and Lord. This twofold teaching is what causes people to escape the pollutions of the world (2 Peter 2:20). We should want to be challenged to receive Christ as Lord, to love him for what he as done for us causing us to keep his words (John 14:23), and to walk in Him. (Colossians 2:6). 5. We should want to be challenged by this last sermon to greater love (John 13:34, 35), greater works (I Corinthians 15:58; Philippians 2: 12), more meaningful worship (John 4:24), and to a dedicated life of purity (James 1:26,27). 6. We should want our shortcomings to be rebuked and our sins brought out so we would see the need of repentance (Numbers 32:33; Luke 12:2; Luke 13:1-5). We should want exposed the things that are contrary to the will of God such as works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). These things would keep us out of the kingdom of God here and of heaven in eternity. God holds us responsible as sinners if we persist in doing the works of the flesh. We should want to quit anything that God condemns us doing and as the children of God to confess our sins so he will forgive (I John 1:9, 10). We should not want to die guilty of sins of which we have not repented. 7. We should want all religious error exposed so we would not be guilty of practicing it (James 1: 16). The curse of God rests on anyone preaching another gospel than that preached by the inspired apostles (Galatians 1 :8, 9). It is only the truth that makes people free when they obey it from the heart (Romans 6:17, 18; John 8:32; I Peter 1 :22, 23). It is only the pure, unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ that is the power of God to save people (Romans 1: 16, 17). The idea of faith only saving people is shown to be false in James 2:17-26. The doctrine of praying the sinner's prayer for salvation is shown to be false in Matthew 7:21-26. Any other false way can be exposed in the searchlight of the word of God. 8. We should want chapter and verse preaching from the word of God. Peter's sermon on Pentecost day had quotations from Joel 2:28-32; Psalms 16:8-11; 2 Samuel 7:11, 12; and Psalms 110. (Acts 2:14-36). Every sermon preached by an apostle or one the apostles laid their hands upon was chocked full of scriptures. They showed that the New Testament gospel was a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies and promises. They gave an authoritative gospel because they were inspired and they proved beyond any shadow of doubt what they said by the scriptures. The only authoritative preaching today is the unbiased preaching of the word of God with its true meaning. 9. We should want that last sermon to have a tender appeal to obey the Lord. As Paul stated, "Knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men" (2 Corinthians 5:11). On Pentecost day Peter answered their inquiry with "repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38). Then he with many other words testified and exhorted them to save themselves by submitting to the Lord (Acts 2:40). The Lord instructs his servants to compel people to come in (Luke 14:23). Yes, this is what we should want in our last sermon. C. D. |
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